Revealing Supermassive Black Hole Growth Through the Synergy of Roman and LSST
| Program ID | 19042 |
|---|---|
| Science Category | Active Galaxies & Supermassive Black Holes |
| Program Type | Analysis |
| Category | Medium |
| Principal Investigator | Jinyi Yang |
| PI Institution | University of Michigan |
| Co-Investigators |
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| Abstract | Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are recognized to play a critical role in galaxy evolution, and tight correlations have been observed between BH masses and host galaxy properties in the nearby Universe. However, the formation of the most distant SMBHs and their growth history remain poorly understood. Observational challenges have long limited progress in this area. Now, thanks to the capabilities of new cutting-edge facilities, we are entering a new era of investigating early SMBHs. Leveraging the upcoming Roman deep grism and imaging survey, in synergy with LSST, we propose to use the first two years of HLWAS medium and deep tier data to conduct a survey spanning a broad dynamic range of SMBHs across cosmic time, from high-mass quasars to low-mass faint AGNs, including the recently discovered mystery "little red dots" (LRDs). This project will conduct a systematic spectroscopic search for 1) z > 7 faint quasars and reddened quasars and 2) z~ 0.5-2.5 broad line AGNs and LRDs. The former will place tight, direct constraints on the rapid growth of the most distant SMBHs, while the latter will clarify the nature of the JWST-discovered broad-line AGN and LRD population by probing their redshift evolution and testing whether they represent a distinct SMBH growth phase relative to typical quasars and AGNs selected based on the same method. Meanwhile, we will use the Roman+LSST imaging dataset to construct a photometry-based candidate sample, covering two targets categories described above. The grism-identified sources will also be used to refine our photometric selection. Together with spectroscopic follow-up, we expect to discover the first z>8 quasars. These efforts will also pave the way for SMBH studies using the full HLWAS field and pushing quasar frontier to z>10. Overall, the resulting samples will trace SMBHs across different growth phases and cosmic epochs, enabling a comprehensive view of SMBH formation, growth, and demographics. |